


Lend me your ears, and I'll sing you a song

by merle_p



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angsty Schmoop, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-04-25
Updated: 2009-04-25
Packaged: 2017-10-06 18:42:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merle_p/pseuds/merle_p
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur likes Merlin's ears.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lend me your ears, and I'll sing you a song

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Послушай меня, я спою тебе песню](https://archiveofourown.org/works/207090) by [Nadis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nadis/pseuds/Nadis)



> Written April 2009.  
> Tiny spoilers for 1.01, 1.07, 1.10.  
> _Merlin_ belongs to BBC. The title is a line from the Beatles song _With a little help from my friends_.  
> This was written for [](http://community.livejournal.com/kinkme_merlin/profile)[**kinkme_merlin**](http://community.livejournal.com/kinkme_merlin/) meme. The prompt was _Arthur really likes Merlin's ears!!_.

**1.**

The first time they meet, it's on the playground, when Arthur abandons his half-finished sandcastle to crawl over and pull Merlin's ear.

Merlin stares at him for a second, lower lip trembling, and then he starts to cry. Arthur looks shocked more than anything else, and then Hunith is there, sweeping the sobbing baby up in her arms, and scolds Arthur for bullying smaller children.

Arthur frowns and rubs his face with sand-covered hands, until his nanny comes running to lay into Hunith, telling her that the boy she just bawled out is Uther Pendragon's son, and _this will have consequences, for certain._

And Hunith says some unflattering things about rich people, and arseholes in general, and hurries away, Merlin firmly enclosed in her arms.

Arthur wrinkles his nose, about to throw a fit because his new playfellow is taken away, but then Merlin turns around in his mother's arms and peaks over her shoulder, waving a shy goodbye with a tiny, chubby hand, and Arthur giggles and waves back.

 

**2.**

Years later, Arthur still likes to pull Merlin's ears. He does it when they are squabbling, or when he thinks Merlin is being particularly stupid, or when he wants Merlin to do something for him; and Merlin always flushes bright red and swats his hand away; and Arthur finds himself doing it more frequently, without any particular reason, just because he likes the way Merlin blushes and squirms and looks quite simply adorable.

Of course, he insists that doing so is his, Arthur Pendragon's, privilege, and his alone, and when he finds two big tenth years pushing Merlin around in an empty class room, making cruel comments about the identity of Merlin's non-existent father, and pulling his ears, of all things, Arthur feels absolutely entitled to beat them up.

Unsurprisingly, the headmaster calls his father, and puts him in detention, which is quite disagreeable; but Merlin is waiting for him in the school yard when he is done, embarrassed and grateful, ears red when he holds out a bag of candy, and Arthur knows it was worth it.

 

**3.**

Arthur falls in love with Sophia in their first year at university. He's a bit surprised himself, because he didn't even know that he was interested in women – but Sophia is astonishing, and beautiful, and Arthur figures that maybe gender is not so important after all.

Morgana, of course, accuses him of pretending, of trying to please his father too hard; but Morgana is always criticizing everything he does, so that really doesn't say much.

The only problem is that Merlin doesn't like Sophia; and Sophia can't stand Merlin at all.

It's not as if they are permanently at each other's throats – Merlin tries very hard to be civil for Arthur's sake, and Sophie is far too sophisticated to actually _fight_ – but it's still very clear that they despise each other, which means that these days, Arthur doesn't see Merlin nearly as often as he used to.

One day, in winter, Merlin walks into the dining hall, with Gwen in tow and ears bright red from the cold, and Arthur wants to scold him for forgetting his hat.

Sophie, however, looks at him thoughtfully. "Merlin, have you ever thought about cosmetic surgery?" she asks casually, smiling. "You know, for your …" She gestures towards her own ears, white and small and delicate; and Arthur shifts in his seat uncomfortably and doesn't quite know what to say.

Merlin pales and stares, tray tilting in his shaking hands, and Gwen splutters indignantly, throws Arthur a reproachful glance, and proceeds to drag Merlin away to the other side of the hall.

Arthur breaks up with Sophie two weeks later, when it turns out that she's a perfidious bitch, and shows up at Merlin's dorm room with two bags of fish and chips as a peace offering.

He's trying to make enough room on Merlin's cluttered bed for him to sit when he finds the clinic brochures; he flips through them, mouth agape, and then he rips them apart in front of Merlin's wide, shocked eyes.

"You idiot", he says. "I don't want to see those again, you understand?"

Merlin shrugs, and shuffles, eyes on the floor. "I couldn't have afforded it anyway", he murmurs, and Arthur reaches out to slap the back of his head.

"Your ears are fine", he says gruffly. "Don't you dare taking them off."

And Merlin looks up and smiles, really smiles, for the first time in weeks.

 

**4.**

For some reason, Merlin's friend Will thinks that Arthur is bad for Merlin. Which is stupid, because Arthur is pretty sure that Merlin wouldn't survive a week without Arthur there to take care of him. (That Arthur probably wouldn't survive without Merlin either – well, that's another story.)

So Will resents Arthur, and Arthur resents Will for resenting him, and whenever they meet – which is far more often than they'd both like, but cannot be helped, seeing as how they both like to spend time in Merlin's presence – sparks fly, and not the good kind, either.

Merlin hates it when they fight, which is just another thing they can blame each other for, and more than once, Arthur has wished that he could just make Will _go away_.

And he doesn't even feel guilty for thinking it – until Gwen calls him on his mobile phone one afternoon, voice frantic and scared, and he rushes home to find Merlin crouched on the kitchen floor, phone in his lap, face wet with tears and snot, and hands on his ears, yanking, as if he wants to tear them off.

"He's dead", he sobs, when Arthur kneels down at his side, coming without resistance when Arthur pulls him against his chest, but he doesn't let go of his ears, nails digging in desperately, and Arthur can see that one lobe has started bleeding already.

"Stop that", he says, and carefully pries Merlin's hands off, catching them in one of his own, and he almost can wrap his fingers around both of Merlin's bony wrists. Merlin struggles weakly, and Arthur holds him closer, until Merlin's head rests against his shoulder, and Arthur bends down to kiss his ear.

Merlin shudders against him, crying into his shirt, and Arthur kisses him again, licks the drop of blood off his earlobe, until Merlin goes limp and quiet in his arms.

 

**5.**

Arthur likes everything about Merlin. He likes his long, lean hands, so skilled against his body, so clumsy with everything else; the curve of his spine, vulnerable and fragile under the almost transparent skin; his blue eyes, turning dark and almost golden when he's aroused.

But he likes Merlin's ears best of all. When Merlin blows him, he holds onto them, not really tugging, just holding, feeling them burning hot under his hands. Even better, though, is when Merlin is spread out under him, and Arthur bends down and licks the ear shell, his tongue running along the rim, then sneaking inside, curling into the delicate whorls, the fine hairs fleecy against the pad of his tongue.

And Merlin is losing it under him, barely coherent anymore, squirming and shaking and moaning; struggling to get any words out.

"Stop playing with my ears", he groans, inefficiently trying to shove Arthur off.

"Why?"Arthur whispers into Merlin's ear, smiling against his skin. "You like it, don't you?"

"Because they are freaky", Merlin mumbles, blushing, and arches against Arthur when he nips at the lobe.

Arthur grins. "Absolutely", he says, "just like you." He holds Merlin down with one hand and uses the other to tug his ear, slightly, gently. "But I love them anyway. Just like you."


End file.
